“Lana was looking out for you. She wanted you to get Tessa from him. She was so proud of you. I am too, Seychelle. Don’t ever think I’m not, but I’m afraid for you. You take too many fuckin’ chances with your life.”
She stood looking up at him, those eyes of hers so loving but so sad, it shook him. The very reason she was the right partner for him, her strength and indomitable will, her courage, was the reason he could lose her. She wasn’t going to roll over for him because she loved him. He’d made promises to her. If he couldn’t keep them, she wasn’t going to keep her side of the bargain either. He would lose her.
“I know we said we’d keep everything we did sexually between us, and I tried to change those rules on us for this upcoming run. That was wrong of me. We’ll stick to what we agreed. As far as the other, if you’re not happy, Seychelle, you’re right, this isn’t going to work, because I won’t be happy unless you are. I told you I was all in with you, and I am. We’re going to figure this out, and that’s why we’re here. Czar’s the president of Torpedo Ink. I’ve got to tell him straight, that when you ask me something, and you’re upset about it, I’ve got to be able to talk it over with you. If he gives me an ultimatum, I’m not certain where we’re going from there, but wherever it is, we’re going together.”
Seychelle’s eyes widened in shock. She shook her head. “Don’t even think that way, Savage. You are Torpedo Ink. That’s who you are.”
“It won’t come to that.” He hoped he was right. He believed in Czar. He had to. Czar had said to come to him if there was a problem, and this was a pretty big fucking problem.
He took her hand and began walking to the house, his steps slow and measured. “I’m not willing to lose you, Seychelle. You mean too damn much to me.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” Her voice was low, but she took her other palm and rubbed his rib cage. He could feel her hand tremble. “We’ll talk about the other at home. The public thing, on the upcoming run. Nothing is ever set in stone, Savage, other than our promise to make one another happy and put each other first. I think we’re both trying to do that. And I do hear you about Brandon. I’ll stay away from him.”
Savage brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her ring finger as they went up the stairs to the heavy front door. He’d been in the house hundreds of times. The club often had breakfasts, barbecues or shared dinners with Czar’s entire family. The club members were always welcome, no matter what time of day it was. They had movie nights with the family. The children on the farm were homeschooled, and all the adults pitched in to teach various classes. Torpedo Ink taught survival skills, often to Blythe’s and the other women’s dismay.
Savage had never been nervous going to see his club president, but there was some trepidation walking up to that door this time. He could receive orders to take out enemies, and he would do so without flinching. It didn’t matter how dicey the assignment was. This was the first time, for him, the stakes were so personally high. He knew only one thing for certain: when he walked back out that door, he would be taking his woman with him.
Czar opened the door, his piercing eyes moving over Savage first, then Seychelle and then their joined hands. Czar had always been able to see too much in a man. When they were children, he could look at their enemies and know instantly the worst of them. Which ones they had to protect themselves against before the others. He knew which of the children were weak and would break. He didn’t like knowing those things, but he did. He looked into people and he saw inside them.
Savage had never hidden what he was from Czar. Hell, Czar had had a hand in shaping him into being a cold-blooded killer. They had needed someone to crawl through the vents and kill the worst of their torturers before they themselves were killed. The others were lookouts or distractions. Sometimes they were the ones being tortured or raped as a distraction. But it was Reaper or Savage who had been assigned to do most of the actual killing.
It wasn’t like the others hadn’t done their share of ridding the world of murderers when necessary. They had. It was that Reaper and Savage never hesitated to kill, and Czar was well aware of that. He saw that in them, whereas the trait wasn’t always in the others when they were young. They developed it over time, but when they were children, they were still soft inside. Both Reaper and Savage had lost any softness when their sisters were murdered and Sorbacov gave them to his friends for their “special” play.
“Seychelle. Please come in. Blythe is happy that you’ve come to visit us.” Czar stepped back to allow them to enter.
Savage wrapped his arm around his woman and guided her inside into the very spacious living room. Blythe was sitting in one of the many comfortable armchairs. She rose immediately, a welcoming smile on her face. She came to them, both hands extended toward Seychelle, but leaning toward Savage. He obliged by kissing her cheek. Seychelle took her hands.
“I’m so glad you both came. Savage, I have your favorite coffee made fresh. And Seychelle, I hoped you were a tea drinker. I made a fresh pot, but if you prefer coffee, I can get you a cup of that.”
“Tea would be lovely,” Seychelle said. “I take mine with milk but no sugar.”
They followed Blythe over to the chairs. A small table was set with a tray holding coffee, tea and fresh-baked pastries. There was also a vegetable tray with dip. Savage was happy to see that. He immediately took one of the small bowls and scooped up plenty of the vegetables and added some dip before handing it to Seychelle.
She laughed. “You’re always trying to get me to eat.”
“Because you never eat.”
Seychelle laughed again, her golden notes floating to the ceiling, the sound real this time, relaxing the tight knots in his gut so that the burning in his lungs eased.
“Before we get to the reason you’re here,” Czar said, “I just want you to know ahead of time, I’m in full-blown crisis mode.”
Blythe rolled her eyes. “You’re not. You’re just being silly. Take a breath and eat a pretzel. They’re warm. Fresh out of the oven. They’re your favorites.”
“They’re Savage’s favorites,” Czar corrected, taking one of the fresh pretzels anyway and glaring at his wife. “Don’t discount this, Blythe. It’s a big deal.”
Savage looked to Blythe for an explanation for Czar’s out-of-character behavior. Either he was striving to put Seychelle at ease, or he really was upset. With Czar, it was impossible to tell.
“Darby was asked out on a date.”
“She gets asked out all the time,” Savage said.
“She said yes this time,” Czar declared. “She’s going out with a perfect stranger. And he already has a child. He’s a fireman, for fuck’s sake. He’s too old for her, Blythe. He’s looking for one thing.”
“If he were her age, you’d say that,” Blythe said, calmly drinking her tea. “And you’d be right. I suspect this man is looking more for a mother for his child.”
“She doesn’t need to be a mother at eighteen,” Czar declared. “She’s hardly started her life. And she’s so protective of the girls and Jimmy. Even Kenny, whether he likes it or not. She needs to have some time for herself so she knows who she is.”